Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries): Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 23.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 23.4%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 58.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 2025.
That places East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 58.5% | — |
| 1992 | 57.5% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 55.6% | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 53.8% | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 51.8% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 50.2% | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 49.4% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 49.6% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 49.7% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 49.6% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 49.2% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 49.1% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 48.5% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 46.4% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 44.7% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 42.6% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 41.1% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 40.1% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 38.8% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 37.7% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 36.2% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 35.2% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 33.3% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 31.5% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 30.3% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 29.3% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 28.5% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 27.6% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 26.5% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 25.7% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 24.9% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 26.0% | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 24.6% | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 24.0% | -2.6% |
| 2025 | 23.4% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.9% | 49.4% | 58.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 45.0% | 38.8% | 49.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.6% | 26.5% | 37.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 23.4% | 26.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 23 Afghanistan 51.6% compare
- 24 Moldova 50.5% compare
- 25 Guinea 47.4% compare
- 26 Haiti 46.6% compare
- 27 East Timor 46.0% compare
- 28 Kenya 45.8% compare
- 29 Cote d'Ivoire 45.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.72 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 7.4% (2025)
- Rural population 804.03 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 38.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3797 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) was 23.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 58.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 2025.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).